SF Beer Week Returns

San Francisco Beer Week returns from February 1 through 10 for the 11th installment of this ground-breaking celebration of craft beer, food and community all across the region.

San Francisco’s Beer Week, celebrating and promoting quality craft beer in the Bay Area, runs February 1-10. Beer by BART

BC STAFF REPORT

Published: February, 2019

San Francisco Beer Week returns from February 1 through 10 for the 11th installment of this ground-breaking celebration of craft beer, food and community all across the region. SF Beer Week’s geographical range includes the greater San Francisco Bay Area, south to Monterey Bay, north to Sonoma County and eastward into the Livermore Valley. Brewers from the region and those planning to visit from beyond are gearing up to present their finest brews during the most epic beer week ever.

SF Beer Week celebrates and promotes the diversity and quality of craft beer in the Bay Area. It’s a grassroots collection of over 500 beer events held at over 100 venues throughout the Bay Area, from breweries and brewpubs to restaurants, bars and retail stores.

SF Beer Week events include meet-the-brewer nights, beer dinners, tastings, special beer releases, collaborative brews, tap takeovers, lectures and panel discussions, beer festivals and other fun, including educational events that connect with the existing local beer community while introducing many new people to the world of artisan beer.

The week kicks off with a big bang at the opening gala on Friday, February 1 at Pier 35. This event is the largest, most anticipated and most prestigious annual gathering of the Northern California craft beer community. Nearly every brewery in Northern California serves some of their most sought-after beer to attendees. Over 120 breweries are expected from throughout Northern California—especially Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties—serving over 300 of the most creative and compelling beers the region has to offer.

Today, craft beer is more popular than ever, and dynamic craft beer communities are popping up all over the country. SF Beer Week was only the second event of its kind in 2009, and now it serves as a model for regional beer weeks throughout the United States.

SF Beer Week demonstrates the vitality and versatility of craft beer, and nowhere else are those attributes more evident than in Northern California, the birthplace of the modern craft beer movement. Fritz Maytag’s purchase of the historic Anchor Brewing Company in 1965 set the stage for a Bay Area-led return to quality, flavorful beer in the United States. Many post-Prohibition firsts came out of Anchor and other local breweries over the next 20 years. New Albion Brewing Company, the nation’s first new microbrewery, was opened by Jack McAuliffe in Sonoma County in 1977. Sierra Nevada began brewing in Chico just three years later, while three of the country’s first four brewpubs opened in the Bay Area in the early 1980s.

The Bay Area’s longtime role as a leader in the production of wine, spirits, cheeses, pasture-fed meats and bread—and any other number of artisan and organic products—dovetails extremely well with the local craft beer culture. Craft beer is now a part of most local restaurants’ beverage programs, beer and food pairing opportunities are a regular occurrence and there is a lot of collaboration among local brewers and other food and beverage producers. While these trends exist and grow year after year, they reach a highly visible, critical mass during SF Beer Week.

For more information, check out the SF Beer Week website, www.sfbeerweek.org, and mobile app. These are the main portals to the hundreds of events that will take place throughout the Bay Area. Users can find detailed information about events, create itineraries, get directions to venues and follow the latest updates on the blog.

Here are just a few examples:

Popsicle Day, February 2: Woods Island Club, Treasure Island

Pairing popsicles with beers? In February? Don’t worry, grab a jacket and come hang out on that island you notice off the Bay Bridge. Favorite beers from this brewery will inspire kid-friendly frozen treats to enjoy while taking in the view.

Industry Night and Big Band of Brewers, February 4: Harmonic Brewing, San Francisco

Brewers and industry folks from all over the City gather to play a night of music. It’s beer, pizza and some crazy-talented brewing pros from around town for an evening that’s all about after-work fun with the people who work in beer.

Groundhog Day, February 6: Airport Stadium 12 Drive-in, Santa Rosa

Get out of your rut and over to a special showing of Groundhog Day with a special hazy IPA release from Laughing Monk. If you’ve seen this movie before, so much the better. If not, get ready for one of Bill Murray’s best comedies and a delicious Wednesday evening you’ll wish you could repeat.

Beer Week Bingo with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, February 9: The Good Hop, Oakland

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have an inimitable way of combining glittery drag queen humor with meaningful fundraising for local nonprofits. This absolutely fabulous bingo game is free to play while you laugh and sip along.

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